Forms of Virtual Patients
Virtual patients may take a number of different forms:
- Artificial patients: computer simulations of biochemical processes such as the effect of drugs in organisms, the physiologic processes of a given organ or entire systems (systems biology) in a given organism. These can be used in different phases of a compound or drug in development in a given pharmacological research as a preliminary to testing on animals and humans for the drug development processes.
- Real patients: reflected in data e.g. electronic health records (EHRs). In this case the virtual patient is the reflection of the real patient in terms of data held about them. These are sometimes called e-patients.
- Physical simulators: mannequins (sometimes spelled 'manikins'), models or related artefacts.
- Simulated patients: where the patient is recreated by humans or computer-generated characters and Virtual Humans acting as such or engaging in other kinds of role-play.
- Electronic case-studies and scenarios where users work through problems, situations or similar narrative-based activities.
Read more about this topic: Virtual Patient
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